NITRO, W.Va. — When scofflaws try to outrun Natural Resources Police on West Virginia waterways, they might find it’s no easy task. Twenty members of the DNR’s Law Enforcement Section recently completed a national certification for tactical boat operations.
A DNR patrol boat served as the “bad guy” in the simulated riverine operation on the Kanawha River. One by one each of the 20 officers performed high speed maneuvers in close quarters with the suspect boat closely watched by an instructor in the cabin.
“This program is a national standard,” said David Durfee with the National Association of State Boating Law Administration. “We’re showing the tactics the DNR will use to come alongside that boat and build their case with evidence. The officers have gained confidence through what we’ve taught in the course to do this safely.”
Patrols came close enough for a man on each boat to slap hands in the scenario. Typically the boats lightly touched at high speed. Officers scanned the suspect craft looking for weapons, open containers, or other illegal activity.
During a second scenario, four DNR craft acted as an escort for a “high value asset” specifically a coal barge on the river. Officers approached the “bad guy” and reacted to the operator.
“The four boats will intercept and talk to the opposing force vessel,” said Durfee. “It may be a compliance situation where I just want to get by and they’ll shadow us through. It may be a situation where I’m trying to get to the barge to do bad stuff.”
Until now, West Virginia Natural Resources Police were only trained in basic boater safety and patrol. The need for a national standard on training was realized during Hurricane Katrina when many states responded to help, but had difficulty communicating.
“They keep a national database now,” said Lt. Tim Coleman of the DNR’s Law Enforcement Section. “When Hurricane Sandy hit, they went into that database and the people that were trained were the people they called.”
The tactical certification makes West Virginia officers available for national emergencies, but Coleman said plenty of what was learned will be extremely valuable here in West Virginia.
“We have dignitaries coming in here all the time. The president comes or some other figure and the first place they want to go is the Capitol, which is right next to the river,” Coleman said. “Plus its training we can use during regatta times to help escort barges through an area of congestion.”
Coleman said it’s rare when a boat refuses to stop for Natural Resources Police, but it could happen.
“It’s rare, but you need to be trained for that time when it does happen,” Coleman said.
The week long course carried a hefty price tag of 38,000 dollars. Coleman said the cost was covered by a Department of Homeland Security Grant. The DNR hopes to train one of its own officers as an instructor in the course. The officer could then re-certify those who took the course and help train other officers in the DNR.